Posted by Melissa Anelli

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Nominees for the WhatsOnStage.com Theatregoers’ Choice Awards were announced at a gala luncheon in London’s West End yesterday, and include Harry Potter cast members Michael Gambon (Dumbledore) and Miriam Margolyes (Professor Sprout). Mr. Gambon was nominated for Best Solo Performance for the title role in “Eh Joe,” and Ms. Margolyes was nominated as Best Supporting Actress in a Musical, for “Wicked.” “The History Boys,” which starred Richard Griffiths (Uncle Vernon) and Frances de la Tour (Madame Maxime), received special mention for “conquering Broadway and the big screen.”

“The Whatsonstage.com Theatregoers’ Choice Awards are unique in that they are judged by the general public – every year tens of thousands of theatregoers decide the contenders and eventual winners in all 20+ categories. This year, over 2,000 took part in the preliminary nominations phase alone.”

Online voting opens Monday, December 4 and will continue through January. Winners will be announced early in February 2007.

Each year, the WOS Theatre Goers’ Choice Awards “adopts” an arts-related charity. This year’s beneficiary is S.A.F.E. (Sponsored Arts for Education), an organization co-founded by Alan Rickman (Snape) and Ian Holm. S.A.F.E. “educates and informs African communities about vital health and social issues by using the arts, primarily theatre, to help break the stigma, silence and discrimination surrounding HIV/AIDS.”